Been There
by Freedomflyer
Summary: While reading FF, i came across some phrases i really liked. and so a story was born. Light Morelli bashing! He's not really mentioned... much...T because i like it more that way
1. Tears of a Body

Been there, done that

My day usually starts off with one of two things.

Someone standing over me after just letting themselves into my apartment.

My alarm going off.

I don't get a lot of variety. This particular morning, it was my on again, off again boyfriend, Joseph Morelli: currently on again.

"Good morning, cupcake, it's time for you to wake up." He set a cup of black coffee on the small bedside table. I inhaled and realized, not for the first time, what a god Morelli is.

"Nope. Not getting up yet. Sorry." I made no effort to reach for the coffee, even though it was giving of a heavenly smell. If I had reached for it, Joe would have pulled it away to get me out of bed. I was not in the mood.

"Sweetheart, you are working today aren't you? I'm sure Ranger doesn't appreciate tardy workers. You might be fired again…" At my glare, he realized that may not have been the best thing to say to me as I was getting up.

"You, get out of my room." I groaned. He smiled and closed the door behind him.

I got up slowly. What had possessed me to accept a job from Ranger, of all people? The man who could scare the Crap outta me and get me hot at the same time.

It was close to eight when I rolled out of the shower. Morelli had already left, saying he needed to be at the office early. Dressed completely in black, eating a pop-tart and half an apple, I walked out my front door.

A black Escalade sat on the other side of the street. The window rolled down and I saw Ranger's man Hal, sitting in the passenger seat. Another man I couldn't quite see was in the driver's side.

Quickly I walked across the road.

"Morning, Hal." I said cheerfully. He half grinned, as though unsure whether I would bite.

"Morning, Ms. Plum." He said politely. "Ranger sent us to pick you up since you were currently, uh…"

"Car challenged?" I smiled, "Yup. Morelli told me last night." He had mentioned something like that, but I hadn't been paying much attention at the time.

"Are you ready?" Hal said sitting straight up.

"As I'll ever be, let's go." I hopped into the car and we drove to the RangeMan building. In the underground parking lot, Hal and the other man, Ram, got out and Hal kindly opened my door. "Thanks." He grunted in reply.

The elevator, which I had already ridden many times when I was in hiding, was small with the two hulking RangeMan employees standing there.

As I stepped into the control room, I saw five men sitting around twenty computer screens.

Ranger was passing through a hallway on the other side of the control room. Somehow he felt my eyes on him, or maybe someone was thinking really loudly again because he looked through the windows and saw me. His eyes were dark and unreadable from this distance.

The tall man next to him was Tank, whose real name, I had just discovered, was Pierre. Honestly, the name Tank said it all; the man was no tiny thing. Tank kept talking and after a moment his eyes found what Ranger had focused on. When he saw me, his eyes rolled and he adopted a smirk.

Ranger was not oblivious to his second's expression. With eyes still on me, Ranger said something that shut Tank up and removed the smirk from his face.

The control room went silent as Ranger stepped through a glass door. He glanced at a man with longish brown hair, Lester, and walked toward me.

"Babe." He beckoned me toward his office and I swore some of the guys in the room grinned at me. I couldn't be sure though since my whole body was focused on the Cuban man in front of me.

"Hey." I smiled nervously. "I'm here." He nodded and guided me through the door of his office with a hand on my back.

"You know the drill, Babe. Paper work isn't too hard this time of year." Ranger shrugged. "Who knows? You might be going out on skips with us before too long."

I smiled politely and didn't agree. Bounty hunting was off the list for now. I needed a break from all the garbage that accumulates on my skin.

I returned to my desk. There were even more files then I remembered. Sighing I hunched my shoulders and settled in.

Halfway through the morning, I had finished three files and was through a second search for a fourth one. Ranger popped out of his office, shoving his gun into the back waistband of his black cargo pants.

"Gotta go babe; break in at one of our buildings." He gave his corners up smile. **Ranger is like a drug. He had the ability to knock me off my feet with a touch.** I smiled and nodded. He was gone from view after a moment. I knew he only told me he was leaving so his crew would leave me alone.

Which of course they paid no attention to.

"Beautiful," Lester stalked up to my cubicle. Everything, to Lester, is a game; I usually don't like playing with him. Today was no exception.

"Lester, go away if you want to keep all your parts." I said ignoring him. He chuckled and sat in the extra chair I keep in my 'office'. He stared at me until I sighed and took out the gun from my top drawer.

"Wait!" he yelped getting up quickly. His hands were held in front of his privates as though that would stop my bullet from going straight through.

I waited to see what he wanted. He smiled hesitantly at me and sat back down.

"I just wanted to tell you that Ranger's unofficial birthday is on Saturday and the guys and I want you to come and party with us." He smirked at my open shock. I didn't think the guys ever went out together. And why had no one told me sooner that Ranger's birthday was coming up.

"Unofficial?" I asked hoping to distract from my shock.

"Have you ever seen a license of his? The only thing in common on all of them besides the pic is the birth date." Lester shrugged. "So we've decided to throw him a little party. Of course he already knows about it, so a surprise is out of the question."

"Yeah, I'll be there." I smiled at him.

"See you around, Beautiful."

He returned to his monitoring.

Then I realized; _I_ _have one week to find something suitable for Ranger_, _the man who can get anything he wants, at any time._

My search ended and I started a new file just before lunch. Bobby, the resident medic, met me in the kitchenette.

"Hey Steph." He smiled at me. Out of all Rangers men, Bobby was the one I could call my friend. He was polite and the most huggable of all the men on Ranger's paycheck.

"Hey Bobby, what do I get for Ranger? How can I get him anything he doesn't already have?" Bobby gave me a serious look.

"Steph, you don't have to give him anything. Just go and have fun and Ranger will be… content." I smiled at his avoidance of 'happy'. He smiled again. "You'll do fine."

As the day came to a close, I had finished most of the 'urgent' labeled folders. I was packing up and waiting for the net search to finish on the last folder as Ranger emerged from the elevator.

"Babe." He sounded exhausted. His dark eyes fell on his office door and I could almost feel them trying to burn a hole into the wood. Then his eyes and their heat fell on me. I gulped, which made him almost smile.

"How was your building?" I asked mainly to draw attention from my girly parts that were on fire.

"Fine, it was a squirrel caught in the rafters." He looked me over and I blushed. "What about you?"

"Almost done with the last urgent folder." I turned and shuffled papers while trying to ignore those scorching eyes.

"Saturday, meet me on seven before the party." I blushed again and nodded. Reaching into his pocket, he threw me car keys. I could tell they went to something black, shiny and nearly indestructible. He turned away from me and headed toward the elevator.

"Good night, Ranger." I said to his back. He glanced over his shoulder and nodded.

"Babe," the doors closed and he was gone. I breathed a sigh of relief. Grabbing my coat and shuffling papers away, I fled the building; finger waves were sent to all the men as I climbed into a blinking SUV.

Rex was waiting for me, running in his wheel. A note on the fridge assured me that Joe had already eaten and had to work late. There was pizza in the freezer for me if I wanted.

"Nice Joe." I sighed. Pino's was great, but lately I'd been feeling more towards coffee ice cream and donuts. Or maybe a nice salad. I'd heard of a body craving vegetables when it realizes what it's missing, I had never had that problem until now. I couldn't understand what my body thought it needed green stuff. I got some when I went to Sunday dinners at my parents.

Clicking on the TV I realized that it was too early for the late night shows and too late for any afternoon shows. I settled on the couch and stared out the window.

If I had been working for Vinnie, I'd be checking out some lead or another at this moment. I called Lula.

"Steph?" She answered. Damn, she must have known I would be bored.

"Hey, what's up?" There were a couple of skips that I knew Lula would need help on. Or at least I hoped.

"These mother fucking skips keep gettin' away. I can't hold 'em for more than a minute! I don't even want to know what you did to stop them from gettin' away."

"Its okay, Lula. You've only been on the job a weekend. You'll get the hang of it." Listening to her reminded me of why I'd given up on bounty hunting.

"It was great talking to you. Maybe I'll stop down at the office sometime." I hung up an hour later. Lula was one of my best friends, but man could she talk.

I went to bed feeling lonely and tired. In my one little apartment that I lived in, it was big at night with no cop or Cuban to fill it. I sighed and found sleep.

It was near five in the morning, when I woke up next. For a moment, I couldn't tell what had woken me. There was no alarm going off and no man standing over me. Then I realized, it was the peace and quiet. There was too much of it. Five O'clock meant Joe getting ready or making me breakfast. Five meant Ranger stalking into my bed room with need for help on a male skip.

Five meant I was trying to get back to sleep in all the noise. But there was no noise.

Joe wasn't in the kitchen starting coffee. Ranger wasn't in my bedroom picking out my clothes. Rex wasn't even running in his squeaky wheel.

I missed the sounds of morning.

Getting up was hard. It was early and I'd had a distressing dream about a killer donut. I managed to roll out of bed and into black clothes.

Black felt too oppressing for my happy mood today so while I shoved my hair into a neat pony tail, the rubber band was bright pink. It would be my little secret happy thing. I read once that you should do that every day, because happy secrets made you feel better about the day.

I would test it and see, but for now, it was just something other than black.

The building was unusually quiet when I pulled up. There was no one rushing out or driving back. I suppose it was early, but it seemed as if the building were holding its breath.

As I key fobbed myself in, the prickling on my neck seemed to intensify. Giving my customary finger wave to the camera that focused on me, I sensed something darker than a storm cloud hanging over me.

Getting on the elevator to the fifth floor, I checked myself over mentally, I hadn't forgotten anything, and I was wearing all required clothes and color, besides my rubber band.

When the doors opened, there were five men sitting at their stations, Tank was taking a break at the coffee center and Hector was sitting in a chair next to Ranger's office. When I stepped into the room, nearly every eye turned on me.

Tank was busy at his coffee. He beckoned to me and I walked over to him.

"Ranger is in a less friendly mood than usual." Tank said his mouth barely moving. "We all think it has something to do with you, so just be careful." I frowned. I hadn't done anything reckless lately to make Ranger mad. It was part of my attempt to move on from bounty hunting.

When I passed Ranger's door to get to my cubicle, said door opened and Ranger stuck his head out.

"Babe." I understood this to be a command of 'Get in here now.' I did so. Inside Ranger pointed to a seat where I sat and waited for him to talk.

"Stephanie." He stopped. The odd thing was that he wouldn't look me in the eye. Ranger was going to tell me something I wouldn't like.

"What did I do this time?" I asked trying to joke about it. He shook his head.

"Steph, I would never say anything to hurt you. You know that right?" he looked at me and I nodded frowning. He took a breath. "Morelli is…" I stopped him.

My eyes began to tear as I considered the possible endings to that sentence.

"Since I haven't gotten fifty calls from my mother, I'm assuming we aren't talking about a dead man. Since I haven't gotten a call from Morelli himself, I can assume we're not talking injured or leaving. And since I'm talking to you and you're mad, I imagine it has something to do with me. Am I right?" Ranger nodded very slowly. I took a deep breath and nodded. "So what or who is the rat bastard doing?"

Ranger looked at me with almost awe.

"He is screwing around, isn't he? As long as he's not doing an animal, or Joyce Barnhardt, then I think it can wait until the end of the day." I stood and walked out of the room into my cubicle and took another deep breath. My day began and I filed grief into the back of my mind, determined to get through the day and ask for tomorrow off.

When I stood up to stretch and walk to the kitchen, Bobby came to me and proved that he was the most huggable of Ranger's men. Tank was next with a hand on my head and a small sad smile. Lester, silly bastard that he was merely kissed my forehead and walked away.

The end of the day came too soon. Ranger waved me into his office and I sat down heavily.

"This room has no cameras and it is sound proof." Batman was giving me time to cry, when all I really wanted to do was get mad. But I cried anyways.

Ranger held me as I cried into his shoulder. When I calmed down, he rubbed my back.

"How…"

"He and his… squeeze were sitting in a car together near my building. I'm sorry, babe." I shook my head. I had known that it was either time to give up Joe or finally marry him.

"I'm surprisingly okay with this." I said sniffing. Ranger gave me a doubtful look and I ducked my head. "Not the cheating on me thing, the leaving Morelli thing." He smiled at my words, looking an awful lot like a cat with a cream mustache.

"Proud of you, Babe." Getting untangled from Ranger's comfortable arms was a hard task. One that I was not sure I could do. Somehow I managed and Rangers arms came out from around me.

"Take the truck, go to his house and confront him." Ranger handed me a ten from his wallet. "Go buy ice cream and sleep it off." He smiled at my shock. "You have dinner plans with your parents tomorrow night so you'll need all the strength you can get." Still smiling he kissed my forehead.

"Thanks Ranger. I owe you." He shook his head.

"No price tags, Babe." Then I was lead to the elevator and down into the parking garage. There was an almost normal looking truck sitting in a space near the end. It was black, but less glossy and less expensive looking. It looked like the kind of truck even someone like me wouldn't be able to blow up in one sitting.

Ranger caught my smile.

"Babe." Which in this instance I thought meant something like 'I'm glad you like it. You will drive this car until you have a clean record for at least a month then if I feel lucky, I will give you something nicer.'

I sighed. It was going to be a long night. Getting into the truck, Ranger stood in the door.

"Go castrate him, Babe." He kissed me on the forehead and shut the door.

I threw the truck into reverse and bolted out of the garage. Now I was mad! That Morelli had played with my heart too many times. This was it. I was done with it all.

As I drove, my anger seethed itself out, so that when I reached Morelli's house I was bone tired. His new car sat in the spot where his garage used to stand. I parked in the street. I wasn't going to stay long.

I opened Morelli's front door with the key I still had. Morelli himself was sitting on the couch, head in his hands.

He glanced at me and sighed.

"Steph, I… I have something to tell you." Joe was going to tell me, which lightened me the slightest bit. He wasn't going to leave it behind him.

"I do too." He looked at me and nodded.

"Ranger, Right?" I nodded and he sighed. "I'm sorry Stephanie. I know how you feel about that and I realize this is the end." He turned away from me. "I hope that with time, maybe you won't hate me."

"You aren't going to insist it was an accident? Or that you weren't in control? Or try to tell me what happened?"

"Would that change the pain you're feeling right now?" I shook my head and tried to get rid of tears in my eyes. "Then you probably don't want to know."

"Thank you, Morelli." Then I left. I stopped on the way home, at a gas station and bought Phish food with Ranger's ten. When I got home, Rex sensed my pain and anger and sat on top of his soup can. I dropped a piece of bread into his cage and grabbed a spoon from the drawer.

I spent the night sitting on my couch eating ice cream watching Ghost Busters and crying all the tears in my body.

AN: Okay so as a first chapter alot of things happened. I get this. Really i do, but if i try to drag it out, i will NEVER get there. Sorry.

I've been collecting key phrases from stories I really liked. SO if you see a **Line **that you think is yours then PLEASE tell me because I am a horrible person and didn't write down where i got things. I would love to hear from you! Thanks!


	2. Changes? or Maybe Not

**Sorry! I know you're all like "OH! NEW CHAPTER!" but its not. Its the re-work of the same Chapter two. And you have my condolences because I really know how it feels to be waiting for a chapter. But! The good news is, I now have a creative writing class which gives me time to work, and Also, I found my chapter three start! YAY! **

**Kk. Sorry. for the last time. Next chapter will have more Ranger/Steph involvement... **

**3**

* * *

Changes? Or maybe not.

I woke up late in the day, tired and aching. I woke and panicked. I was late for work! I looked at the clock, and sighed in relief. It was Sunday, which meant I didn't have to work. It was also early afternoon and my parents wanted me at their house by 5. I had four hours to do whatever shopping I needed done.

After showering and dressing, I looked around for my car keys and remembered my new transportation. Sighing, I loaded myself into my purse and went down to the truck. It stood in my normal parking spot next to the dumpster. Don't get me wrong, I loved the truck, I was just afraid of my bad 'blowing the truck up' habits.

I hopped in and set the radio first, like they teach in Drivers Ed (which I had taken when I was 15 and too cool for my own shoes). I didn't want to take any chances of ruining this car. Settling myself in I drove to the mall, my favorite comfort area.

Four hours later and I was almost late. My mother was four seconds from complaining about a ruined dinner when I popped into the kitchen. I could tell from the way her eyebrows pulled together. Grandma Mazur had been pulled into peeling potatoes which she looked up from when I walked in.

"So who did you bring?" Grandma asked looking behind me. "Joe or Ranger?" I smiled and fought back tears.

"Neither. Just me, isn't that good enough?" Grandma thought about it for a moment.

"Of course, Steph, but they do make great eye candy."

"Right." I passed over this common comment.

Grandma pointed a spindly finger back towards the living room where my father had set up his daily routine of watching TV.  
"Your old man wants to talk to you." m

I wandered into the living room and sat next to my father. He grunted his own brand of hello.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Joseph Morelli called today. He said he had something important to tell you." He settled one eye on me while keeping the other on the TV screen. "With the nerves he was having, either he proposed or he broke it off."

I blushed and sighed. "He broke up with me."

"Are you going to start seeing that muscle man? What was his name?"

"Ranger, he's my boss."

"Yeah, are you going out with him? You know, your mother would much rather you marry Joe."

"**I can't marry Joe, Daddy, no matter how happy it would make Mom. Joe holds me down; Ranger helps me fly." **It was his turn to sigh.

"Alright Steph, but you'd better be sure that's what you want. He doesn't look like the marrying type and I want you to be happy." In a rare sense of clarity, my father picked up on the one fact that made me wary of Ranger. He wasn't the marrying type. So in five years, when I was slightly more wrinkled and far older, I would be ready to be having children. Or have had children.

"I know, Daddy. I've thought it over very much and I'm sure. Just, could you wait a moment to tell Mom that Joe and I split up? I'm just surprised the whole neighborhood doesn't know."

"They will as soon as you tell your mother." My father said with a defeated sigh.

"I guess so. Here goes nothing." I went back into the kitchen. "Morelli and I are done."

"That's nice dear." My mother said continuing her perusal of the perfect temperature on the meter in the chicken.

"No really, we're through."

"What, did you catch him cheating?" Grandma asked, very observant for an old woman. When I didn't say anything, they both looked up at me with very different expressions.

My mother was a mask of horror. The thought of anyone cheating on me was a terrible one with my mother, since Dickie. My grandma had a face of pure mischief.

"We broke up last night, when he told me that he had cheated. He knew how I felt about trust and was very open about knowing I would probably hate him forever."

"Are you going to get with that hot stuff, Ranger? If not, can I have him?" Grandma's eyes still burned with the need to prank, so I made a mental note to tell Carl to tell Joe to watch his back. I hated him at the moment, but even I didn't want something 'Grandma Mazur bad' to happen to him.

"I'm not going out with Ranger right now, but I'll tell him you're interested." I told Grandma, knowing that as soon as I got in to work the next morning, I was telling Ranger. I could predict that his reaction would be a 'Babe' of mixed horror and amusement. His 'babe' greeting would interpret into something along the lines of 'oh my god I can't believe you told me that. I will have nightmares forever about your Grandma lusting after me.'

After dinner, my father retired into his sitting room, my mother poured herself a drink and grandma went upstairs to watch the seven o'clock news on her new television. I quietly said goodbye to all of them and left.

Ranger's truck was comfortable in an army commander sort of way. I drove to my apartment on autopilot. And when I stopped the car I sat for a moment staring off into space. My grandma was trying to tell me something. When I looked back on her actions of the night, I realized what it was.

Grandma approved of Ranger. It was the only explanation for her behavior. I smiled at the thought of having such a great person as an ancestor. Then remembering the trouble she'd brought in the last few years, I decided that I needed to get out of the car and into my apartment.

Opening the door, there was a clean scent, not unlike a forest, in the air. That was the only warning I got from the man sitting on my couch.

"Stephanie Plum?" I squeaked and felt behind me for the closed door. "Wait!" the man stayed sitting, but raised his hands to show me that he was unarmed.

"My name is Ron. I'm Rachel's husband." I nodded to show him I knew what he was talking about. Rachel was Ranger's first wife and mother to his daughter, Julie.

"Why the hell did you break into my apartment? Is something wrong with Julie?" Slowly he nodded his head.

"Julie is…" he paused and shuddered. "Julie is terrorized by her nightmares." He sighed and could tell he truly felt bad for her. "I don't know where to find Carlos and so I when I found you in the phonebook, I thought I'd try to talk to you. You weren't here but I broke in and fell asleep. I'm sorry. I didn't touch anything and I didn't break anything."

I relaxed because his explanation made sense. Carefully, I walked to sit on the arm of a chair in front of Ron.

"I'll call Ranger. Just hold on a moment." I took my cell phone and pressed speed dial one. Ranger answered on the second ring.

"Yo." He sounded slightly breathless and I could hear shouting at the other end. "Bit busy here, Babe, can I call you back." I debated with myself over what I thought was more important, Ranger's job or his daughter. Sadly, I found that to Ranger, his job was more…intense.

"Call me soon." Then we hung up together. I stared at Ron's face. His eyes were drowsy and dark around the edges. "I'm going to make some tea. Would you like some?" he looked up at me shocked.

"I broke into your house and all you do is ask me if I want tea? I knew Julie liked you for a reason." He stood and I saw he was nearly six and a half feet high. "I would like some thanks." I nodded and side stepped into the kitchen. I was sure Ranger had done a full and intense background check, but until Ranger was here to identify him, I wasn't taking any back facing chances.

I was pouring hot water when Ranger called me back. Ron and I had gone through an awkward 'you broke into my house and now I'm serving you tea' silence and were back to just plain uncomfortable.

"Babe," He said when I answered. His voice was less strained and his breath was normal from what I could tell. There was only slight muffled yelling from behind him.

"I kind of need you at my apartment. There's someone who wants to see you." I set my eyes on Ron and he gazed back at me impassively. "How soon can you be here?" I kept my voice light to assure Ranger that I wasn't in any danger.

"I hate this, Babe. I can't tell if you're in danger or not when you use that voice." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm fine." I sighed. "I just need you to get here. This gentleman is kind of urgent."

"Five minutes." He said. As he closed his phone, I could hear someone cursing him.

"He'll be here in two minutes." I said to Ron. He nodded and sipped the scalding tea. I went to the freezer and grabbed an ice cube and the salt shaker, I had replaced with sugar. Using both was part of my new nightly ritual before a long and usually sleepless night. Ron looked at the sugar with distaste.

"It's sugar." I told him. His disgusted look didn't fade and he just raised an eyebrow instead.

We fell silent again. What was I to say to Julie's stepfather? Ranger appeared behind me and looked around at Ron.

"What." Ranger asked. There was slight tension in his voice but I wasn't sure if Ron caught it.

"Carlos, Rachel thinks it would be better for you to go see Julie. Or for her to come see you." I knew Ranger liked Rachel in a 'you are a great mother' kind of way. And he'd once told me that Ron was an okay guy. I couldn't understand why there was tension.

"Rachel owns a phone. Why can't she use it?" I was shocked at Rangers rudeness.

"She thought that with certain circumstances being what they were, it was better for me to tell you in person." I ping ponged between them trying to understand.

"Well now you can go back and tell Rachel what a bastard I am. Julie belongs in Florida, as you so confidently pointed out. So you can just take that sorry attitude back home on the next flight out." Ranger pressed a button on his phone and asked whoever was on the other end to make reservations for Ron Straus on the next flight to Florida.

"Carlos, Please, Julie has been having nightmares about you being shot. Can't you just, I don't know, have her up here for a week?" Ron looked tired again.

"I tried that already and you said no. I respected your wishes. Now do the same for me." Ranger stared him down I was surprised to see that Ron didn't look away at first. He stood there and watched Ranger.

"Alright, I'll leave." He turned to me. "Thank you for the tea and I am sorry about breaking in." He nodded roughly at Ranger and was out the door.

I turned to see Ranger taking a step out the door too.

"NO!" almost startled, Ranger looked back at me. At least I hoped he was almost startled. It would be the first time but, there is a first time for everything, right?

"Babe?"

"You are going to come in here and tell me what that was all about!" He gave me a look. "Hell yes you are! Ron Straus just broke into my home to find you and you wouldn't give him the time of day!" I glared at the amusement in the corner of his eye. The corners of his mouth were in a losing battle with a smile.

"Don't you dare smile at me Carlos Manoso; I want to know what is going on!" He came and sat on my couch.

"I like it when you say my name, babe." I could feel my eyes glaze over. When I returned to glaring at him, he sighed. "Rachel and I had a… disagreement."

"About Julie?" He nodded.

"I wanted Julie to stay with me for a week or so, just to stop her from having nightmares about that unpleasant incident. Ron demanded that I leave her alone. Rachel agreed with him. That's all."

"So you wanted Julie and Rachel said no? That's horrible."

Ranger shrugged. "Her reasoning was sound. She and I both agree that Julie wouldn't have been brought into danger if not for me."

"That's ridiculous. It's like saying someone who drives a small car should be responsible for a car crash."

"Babe, you're cute. If only the world worked like you thought." He looked at me and gave a gentle smile.

"Maybe Julie could stay with me?" I asked. Julie and I had been emailing back and forth after I had gotten the okay from Rachel. Julie and I had gotten as close as two generations could get.

"I don't think you are a much better candidate. Rachel and Ron don't want her in Trenton."

"Obviously they do. Why else would Ron come up here to tell you that?" His eyes widened a fraction of an inch and he pulled out his phone.

"Stop him and take him to RangeMan, Steph and I will be there in ten minutes." There was a short affirmative and Ranger hung up. "Come on, babe. We need to talk to him."

Within ten minutes, we were in the underground garage that all RangeMan employees used. Ranger's Cayenne pulled into the last lane and we both hurried up the stairs. I gave my customary finger wave to the guys on duty at the computers.

We went up to seven. "It's okay for him to be up here?" I asked stunned. "I mean Tank knew to bring him up here?"

"He is looking after my daughter, isn't he? And I had a complete and somewhat illegal background check done up on him. If there was even the slightest bit of danger around this guy, Rachel would not have married him." Ranger shrugged off the illegal search. "He's clean, besides a few detentions in high school for sneaking into the girl's locker room. And who hasn't done that?"

"Well I haven't." He looked at me. "Of course I didn't need to since I am a girl in the first place." When his eyebrow went up I just looked away. "Not that I would have even if I was a boy."

We arrived at the entrance to Ranger's room and went inside. Ron sat at the kitchen table with a glass of water and Ella hovering over him.

Ron saw us and stood.

"Carlos," he was polite but even I could hear the tint of frustration in his voice.

"Julie. When is she available to come here?" Ranger said in monotone.

Ron looked relieved. He smiled at me and said, "She can be here by Saturday." Ranger nodded. Ron held his hand out. "I apologize for my behavior when you asked for her to come. I was angry and uncooperative. I know that must have caused some friction between you and Rachel as well and I'm very sorry."

Ranger looked at the outstretched hand and I was worried for a moment he wouldn't take it. Finally he shook and Ron looked even more relieved.

When Ron left, after arranging things with Ranger, the Cuban man turned to me.

"Babe." Which I took to mean, 'My god if I hadn't stopped myself, I would have lost an opportunity to get together with my daughter, so thank you Stephanie' but probably only meant 'babe'. "Thank you. I wasn't seeing right." He pulled me to him and hugged me. I couldn't remember the last time he'd just hugged me innocently.

It was a fragile thing, the hug and I didn't want to move because it felt perfect. The perfect moment was ruined when Ella cleared her throat.

"I didn't mean to disturb you but, Carlos, you don't have anything for a young thirteen year old to do." Ella was making perfect sense again. "A girl like that needs certain things. Like sheets that are unique and special, and clothes and possessions to call her own." Ranger gave her a look that he sometimes tries on me. It was as much a puppy dog look as Ranger could pull off without seeming like a playboy.

Apparently it worked on her. Or maybe, he didn't use it much on her so she knew it was a special situation. She looked at me. "Did you want to come along, Ms. Plum? I'd bet with you picking things out, Julie would like it that much more."

"It's actually just Steph and of course I'd love to go shopping." Ranger shook his head and unlatched his arms from around me.

You'd never know by looking at him, but Ranger is a romantic. Okay, so you wouldn't know it from anyone else but me, and that's only if I squint really hard. Ranger believes in his own type of romance. A kiss on the cheek, after being threatened for his life, a peck on the forehead when he rescues me from some odd fate. You see? Romantic.

The romantic side of Ranger comes out at certain times. This voyage with Ella was apparently one of those times. Ella and I hadn't spent much time together, but Ranger seemed happy with the arrangement.

Ella's car was a sleek black Mustang. It was the only car parked on the other side of the building. I piled in, with my new yellow purse.

We went to the mall, a place of great relaxation for me.

"Do you know what we'll need?" I asked Ella, my experience of young girls limited to a mini saint and a horse.

"I'm assuming she'll want bed sheets. Clothes, she'll bring. We can always go shopping when she gets here too. Perhaps some furniture and rugs." Ella was off in her own world as we entered the mall through Macy's. "I'm sorry dear, I didn't mean to zone out."

"No that's okay. I just realized I know nothing about young girls. Except that some of them gallop around like horses. Or they sit around being perfect. And that I used to be one."

"He's right. You are good for amusement." Ella murmured. I wasn't sure if she meant for me to hear it, so I wasn't too offended.

As I thought about the man who had told her I was amusing, I realized I still had no idea what to do for Ranger's birthday.

"Ella, what do I get Ranger for his birthday?" she looked critically at me.

"Are you serious? About him, I mean. He's been through so much I don't think he could take it if anyone else left." She stopped window shopping for a moment. "Are you certain he is what you want?" I thought about it.

Was Ranger the kind of man I could spend my life with? Even though he wasn't a family man, or a marrying sort, could I be happy being with him for a long while? I knew I loved him. I would most likely die for him though it had to be pretty bad for me to die for him and not the other way around.

Ella watched me before taking a hold of my shirt and pulling me after her. I was lost in space thinking about my life with and without Ranger in it. By the time Ella had bought several things and arranged for them to be dropped off at RangeMan, I was quite certain that if I didn't have Ranger in my life, I would be reduced to a pile of pathetic Stephanie shaped goo.

Ella was shopping for fun now, pulling me out of my thoughts of the future. My phone rang halfway through the Gap.

"Hello." I answered without checking my caller ID. Connie spoke quickly from the other end.

"Steph! I know it's late but, are you anywhere near the mall?"

"I'm in the mall, why?"

"Tristan Gulp was just reported seen there." I thought for a moment, wondering where I had heard that name before. "He's one of our big skips and I can't get a hold on Ranger." I sighed. If this was one of the big skips, then I was sure he had a gun and was waiting to shoot me.

"I don't have anything with me." I reached in my purse and felt metal rings. Apparently I did have things with me. "Never mind, but I could get myself killed." Connie made a sound into the phone that sounded like a sigh times ten.

"Then get to Ranger and get him there in ten minutes or less. If you can't he was spotted in Marshalls." Then she hung up on me.

I pressed the speed dial for Ranger. It went to his messages. "Ranger get to the mall ASAP there is a skip here that I need you for." Then I started purposely forwards. Ella walked behind me.

"What on earth?"

"I'm sorry, there's a skip on the loose in Marshalls. I need to go get him so you can stay here if you'd like." I took several deep breaths.

"Not a chance. Carlos would never forgive me." I shrugged, If she wanted to come, help was always appreciated. As I rushed around towards Marshall's, I gathered up courage. Skips had been scarce of late and I needed money for my phone bill. Ella, walking quickly beside me, pulled out a bottle of pepper spray and a gun almost as big as my grandmothers.

I nearly stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"That thing is huge." I said. Ella looked at it and back at me.

"It's not bad. I had to prove to Carlos that I could carry it, let alone shoot straight. When I nearly shot his foot off for being stupid, he agreed to help me get a concealed weapon permit." I nodded. This made sense. **Ella is very good at everything, including shooting people**. This fact should have been implanted in my brain. We made it to the store and inside, one of the first people I saw, was Tristan Gulp.

But the bad thing with seeing someone you are familiar with is that they also usually know you too. His face went from a sickly puce color, to pure white in less than a second. Grabbing at his back, he pulled out a gun bigger than mine and slightly smaller than Ella's.

Ella took aim. "Drop the gun. We're armed and dangerous."

She looked at me and I held up my pair of handcuffs. "Well, I'm armed and dangerous." Tristan took aim as Ella did the same.

"This is not the Okay Corral!" I shouted into the screams and shouts from the store. "We just need you to come back to court where we can get you bonded out again."

"Fuck that, Crazy lady! I know you and your words are fucking ridiculous. I had to wait for two days last time." He squeezed off a round and I grabbed Ella without thinking. She was behind me when the first bullet whizzed past my ear.

"You Bastard! Do you know what my boss will do to me if she gets hurt?" Ella yelled from behind me.

"Does it look like I care, old woman? I am not going back to jail!" he shot off a few more rounds as he ran towards the back door out to the parking lot. I ran after him.

I have been told before that my logic is not always sound. This was one of those times.

Running after a man with a gun is not a thing for a smart woman to do.

"Mr. Gulp! Stop!" he ran past shoes and the ladies section. I ran right with him. He got surprised by a little old lady swinging her purse at him from between one isle. He jumped and flipped landing on his back with a slightly disoriented look. I leaped, literally, on this fact and swatted the gun away from us.

"Tristan Gulp, I am arresting you." He grunted and I realized that I may have landed a knee or two in sensitive areas. I moved one immediately. My other knee on his stomach was quite content. I hand cuffed him and stood up. The woman who had smashed him up with her bag was happily browsing through the clothes rack.

"Thank you, Ma'am." I said politely. She grinned up at me with a mouth of missing teeth.

"He was about to bump my rack. I didn't want to lose my place." She hummed and nodded.

Hauling Tristan onto his feet was a job and a half. He didn't want to go and I stumbled trying to make him rise. Finally, I pulled my .38 out of my waistband and pointed it at him. "We can do this painfully, or we can do this my way. Which do you want?" He gulped and stood quickly. Ella walked behind me.

"Well, dear, you certainly have a way with these people." I shook my head.

"Not really, I get very lucky sometimes." I pulled out my phone and called Connie. She sounded relieved on the phone.

"Thank goodness, I'll tell Lula that she doesn't need to worry about him. You know how she gets." I nodded. Lula would worry so hard, she'd have to go buy a donut. Lucky her.

"I'll bring him into the office and you can process him."

Ella and I managed to get him to her car with little trouble. Getting him into the car was a bit harder. There was very little room in the car for three people. I managed to crunch Gulp in the back space. He bitched the whole way to the office I aimed my gun at him finally and he shut up.

Inside the office, Connie was filing her nails. She looked me over when I walked in the door.

"No garbage, no dirt, no blood, I'm so happy for you!" Connie squealed. I nodded and Ella shook her head. "I hope you called Ranger."

At my blank look, Connie gasped. "You didn't get his calls?" She ran to the phone and handed it to me. "He called here saying he couldn't reach you. I figured you'd been busy with Gulp. If he isn't in a panic, then he's waiting for a police call for Morelli." At Joe's name I flinched, thankfully, Connie was too preoccupied with dialing for me on the phone.

"Talk." I handed Gulp to Connie who sat him down and searched for his papers.

"Hiya Ranger." I couldn't be sure but I thought I heard a sigh on the other end.

"Babe. You alright?" He said tonelessly.

"Yup. Sorry I must've not heard my phone. Connie told me you'd called so I thought I'd better tell you not to listen too closely for a police report."

He grunted and hung up. I smiled and placed the phone back in its cradle.

"I should take you back." Ella said smiling at me. "Come, Stephanie." I held up a finger.

"Can you keep him here for a few minutes while I go get my car?" Connie nodded.

Ella drove me to Rangeman and I finger waved to the camera. Ranger was waiting next to my truck.

"Babe." Which I took to mean, 'If you ever stop answering your phone again, I will handcuff it to you.' I nodded and his mouth corners lifted. He opened my door for me and I smiled again. He seemed to hesitate looking at me in the truck. Then he gave a 200 watt smile and I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. "See you tomorrow." And he shut the door of my lovely truck.


End file.
